It Was the Back, Now it's the Butt

It's Art's fault.

He's the one who showed me this article which was titled How Healthy Are You Aging? Take These 4 Fitness Tests to Find Out  

https://www.health.com/aging-well-fitness-tests-8668645

He thought it would be fun to try doing it. I said I would do it first.

30-Second Chair Stand

This assessment measures lower-body strength and endurance, and it can help identify adults at risk of falling. It may also be predictive of mortality—research has found that performing fewer than four stands in 30 seconds is linked to a threefold increase in risk of death among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Höglund J, Boström C, Sundh J. Six-minute walking test and 30 seconds chair-stand-test as predictors of mortality in COPD—a cohort study. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2022;17:2461-2469. doi:10.2147/COPD.S373272

How to perform: 

1. Set a stopwatch for 30 seconds, or have a friend time you.
2. Sit in the middle of a chair.
3. Cross your arms and place your hands on opposite shoulders.
4. Keep your feet flat on the floor, your back straight, and your arms against your chest.
5. Begin timing.
6. Rise to a full standing position, then sit back down again.
7. Repeat as many times as you can within 30 seconds.
   

According to the CDC, a below-average score may indicate a heightened risk of falling. For those aged 60 to 64, the average score is 14 for men and 12 for women. 

OK, I did great with this one. In fact, Art said I could stop before the 30 seconds because I was not having any problem at all with this.

So then he suggested I try the one about getting up from the floor. 

                                                                 Sitting-Rising

One reliable way to test balance, strength, and range of motion—the extent to which a body part can move freely—is the sitting-rising test, which gauges how well you can sit down on the floor and rise back up without assistance. 

How to perform:

1. Stand barefoot on a non-slip surface, such as a thin mat.
2. Without worrying about speed, try to sit on the floor using as little assistance as possible.
3. From the seated position, rise back up to standing—again, using the least amount of assistance needed.

To determine your score, start with a maximum of five points for sitting and five for rising. Deduct one point if you use any body part, such as a knee or hand, for support. Any unsteadiness or loss of balance during the test knocks off a half point (crossing your legs at any point is fine, as long as you don’t use the sides of your feet for support). 

A recent study found that middle-aged and older adults who scored below 7.5 had a significantly higher risk of dying from natural causes within 12 years compared to those who scored a perfect 10.

I couldn't believe it. I don't know what I was doing wrong. I may have had my legs crossed but 

I pushed myself up and suddenly fell backwards. I fell on my tailbone to excruciating pain. 

Even worse, I felt so dumb. Art was in shock. 

He told our daughter about it and the first thing she asked me was, "So your back isn't even totally healed but you decided to try this?" And then I got a lecture. 

I'm kind of getting used to my daughter scolding reminding me to be careful. 😳

Oh... there's two more tests, but I guess I'll wait until my back (and my butt) heals. 😕

POSTSCRIPT:

My daughter then did some research and sent Art out to a nearby CVS to get this pillow for my butt.

And you know what? It's a lot easier to sit down now. I'm even taking it to the car to use when we have to go somewhere.